ROOM and INDECENT, the two remaining shows in the 2019-20 Off-Mirvish Season, have been cancelled.  For refunds or credits we recommend patrons visit mirvish.com and submit the online form or call TicketKing at 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333.

ROOM, a stage adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s best-selling novel and Oscar-winning film, is a coproduction with the Grand Theatre, London, ON, and Covent Garden Productions of London, UK. It played three performances at the Grand before being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

ROOM was to have officially opened at the Grand on March 13 for a four-week run, before transferring to the CAA Theatre in Toronto.

Critic Joe Belanger of the London Free Press — who saw the show in its final preview performance in London — gave it a five-star rating (out of five).

In his published review he wrote:

“An artistic triumph, a brilliantly constructed and performed play that brings Donoghue’s words to life.

The production employs songs and projections to express the inner thoughts of Ma and Jack and help carry the horrifying story to its conclusion.

The stage version is a different experience than reading the book or watching the film, but is arguably more powerful and entertaining.

Alexis Gordon in the role of Ma gave an inspired, flawless and beautifully nuanced performance as the courageous, loving, conflicted, vulnerable yet incredibly strong character who survives against all odds, willing to do whatever it takes to protect her son and survive. Her vocals on the powerful songs are gorgeous, packed with emotions that make you weep.

Equally powerful and inspiring was the performance of Brandon Michael Arrington in the role of Super Jack, created by Donoghue to express Jack’s inner life, never leaving the stage and never forgetting that he is the alter ego of a five-year-old boy.

Seldom is a play adapted from a novel as fulfilling and rich an experience as the original read, but Room is. It’s a shame so few will get to see it this season.”

As soon as it is safe to do so, Mirvish Productions, the Grand Theatre and Covent Garden Productions will begin work on finding a way to bring the production back to the stage in a coming season, so that more people can indeed see the remarkable work of the all-Canadian creative team, led by Scottish director Cora Bissett, and the superb performances of the all-Canadian cast. The world needs to see this unforgettable production.

INDECENT, the Tony Award®-winning play by Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel, was to have begun rehearsals on March 30 with a stellar Canadian cast — Jessica Greenberg, Jordan Pettle, Sarah Orenstein, Tracy Michailidis, Alex Poch Goldin, Jake Epstein and Dmitry Chepovetsky. Performances were scheduled to begin on May 5. 

A Studio 180 production — the company that has previously brought Oslo, King Charles III, My Night with Reg, God of Carnage and Clybourne Park to past Off-Mirvish seasons— the show was to have been presented by David Mirvish and directed by Joel Greenberg. 

INDECENT tells the story of a theatre company on Broadway in 1923 producing the controversial Sholem Asch’s drama God of Vengeance, an evocative work of Jewish culture that had both been praised and criticized for taboo themes of censorship, immigration, and anti-Semitism. 

Inspired by these true events and the controversy, Vogel tells the behind-the-scenes story of the courageous artists who risked their careers and lives to perform a work deemed “indecent.”

A play filled with music and dance, INDECENT combines the high entertainment of theatre with the heartbreak of the loss of art and culture for an entire people. 

The ensemble of actors and musicians portray more than 40 roles in this riveting and richly theatrical backstage drama. “Brimming with good faith” (The New York Times), this enchanting play is a testament to the transformative power of theatre that is timelier than ever before.

The Broadway production of INDECENT won acclaim and awards, including a Tony for Best Director. Reviews for the play were outstanding:

"Indecent reminds us of the power of art to tell us truths long before we are able to recognize them as such. – The long Angeles Times

"So much rich emotion about history and the theater. A gripping and entertaining show with laughter and tears!” – Newsday

It is a play that demands to be seen in Toronto.

Again, once safety has been restored to the world, Mirvish Productions and Studio 180 hope to reschedule the production in a coming season.

Be well, stay safe and thank you for supporting the performing arts in these trying and turbulent times.